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Twitter jumps after announcing testing for longer Tweets

Shares of Twitter are up 1.75% or 29c to $16.88 per share in after-hours trading after saying it will test doubling the length of a Tweet to 280 characters.

TWTRTwitter

$16.59

-0.39 (-2.30%)

08/25/17

JEFF

08/25/17DOWNGRADETarget $16JEFFHold

Jefferies cuts Twitter with Google, Facebook and Snap preferred in social video

As previously reported, Jefferies analyst Brent Thill downgraded Twitter (TWTR) to Hold from Buy in a note to investors after the market close yesterday, stating that he prefers Google (GOOGL), Facebook (FB) and Snap (SNAP) as plays on the digital video transition occurring across the social media space. Thill, who thinks Twitter will underperform broader internet and social peers, acknowledged that investors might ask why he is not advising to sell the stock, but he thinks recent management changes could improve the company's declining ARPU in the near-term. Thill lowered his price target on Twitter shares to $16 from $20.

08/25/17

08/25/17DOWNGRADE

On The Fly: Top five analyst downgrades

Catch up on today's top five analyst downgrades with this list compiled by The Fly: 1. Twitter (TWTR) downgraded to Hold from Buy at Jefferies by analyst Brent Hill, who prefers Google (GOOGL), Facebook (FB) and Snap (SNAP) as plays on the digital video transition occurring across the social media space. Thill, who thinks Twitter will underperform broader internet and social peers, acknowledged that investors might ask why he is not advising to sell the stock, but he thinks recent management changes could improve the company's declining ARPU in the near-term. 2. Ulta Beauty (ULTA) downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at BMO Capital by analyst Shannon Coyne, who said that there are bright spots ahead for the company, but sees "clouds on the horizon" looking ahead, including a slowing beauty market and department stores that are "upping their collective game." 3. Hormel Foods (HRL) downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Credit Suisse by analyst Robert Moskow, who said increased volatility in the protein markets has reduced earnings visibility and his confidence in FY2020 margin targets of 15-19%. Moskow sees further risk from the pork industry's 10% expansion in slaughter capacity. 4. TripAdvisor (TRIP) and Shutterstock (SSTK) downgraded to Underperform from Hold at Jefferies. 5. Domino's Pizza (DPZ) downgraded to Hold from Buy at Argus by analyst John Staszak due to concerns about slowing international revenue combined with a potential for a comparable slowdown in domestic sales. The analyst now expects Domino's to post mid-single-digit comp growth following years of double-digit growth and believes margin gains will be limited going forward as the company invests in the business. This list is just a portion of The Fly's full analyst coverage. To see The Fly's full Street Research coverage, click here.

08/30/17

AGIS

08/30/17NO CHANGEAGIS

Aegis sees signs of start of advertising recession

After speaking with Bryan Wiener, the Executive Chairman of online and traditional advertising agency 360i, Aegis analyst Victor Anthony said that his commentary, along with earnings results from ad agencies Interpublic Group (IPG) and WPP (WPPGY), leave him of the opinion that an ad recession is underway. Wiener believes Google (GOOG), Facebook (FB) and Amazon (AMZN) will be relatively insulated given they will continue to take share, and Anthony said he would continue to buy Alphabet and Facebook shares. The analyst keeps a Hold rating on Snap (SNAP) and a Sell rating on Twitter (TWTR).

Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter initiated Snap (SNAP) last night with a Neutral rating and $12 price target. The shares closed yesterday down 3c to $14.96. Decelerating growth trends, "fierce" competition for user mindshare and advertiser dollars, and a history of being "hugely unprofitable" justify being on the sidelines with respect to the shares, Pachter tells investors in a research note. He notes his $12 price target reflects a slight premium to Twitter's (TWTR) multiple, since Snap "appears to have a longer runway for continued growth," and a discount to Facebook's (FB) multiple, a company with "superior monetization and growth trends."

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